Gaming device manufacturers strive to make gaming devices that provide as much enjoyment and excitement as possible. Providing a game in which a player has more opportunities to win awards and potentially larger awards are ways to enhance player enjoyment and excitement. Gaming machines or devices provide games, such as slot games and poker games, in which a player has one or more opportunities to obtain a winning symbol combination on mechanical or video reels or on a hand of cards. In these gaming devices, the player initiates the spin of the reels or dealing a hand of cards by making a wager on one or more different paylines or hand of cards associated with positions at which the reels or cards display symbols. The combination of symbols displayed in the positions associated with each wagered-on payline or hand of cards determines whether a player wins a value for that wagered-on payline or hand of cards and, if so, how much value the player wins. The amount won for each payline or hand of cards is usually based on the amount wagered on that payline or hand of cards.
One known method to enhance player enjoyment and excitement is to provide a payline associated with the reels in a slot game upon which the player does not directly wager, but which provides an increased chance of winning an award nonetheless.
Another known method to enhance player enjoyment and excitement is to provide a payline associated with reels in a slot game having a greater value than another payline. The greater valued payline provides a greater award for the same symbol combination than another payline. For example, a higher multiplier can be associated with the greater valued payline.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,261,178 B1 discloses a gaming device that randomly selects a set of symbol locations which define an additional mystery payline in a game. The mystery payline, however, is not enhanced by any value.
U.S. Publication No. 2003/0054875 discloses a slot game with a random indicator that enhances all wins on an indicated payline by a multiplier such as 4×. The enhanced payline is directly wagered upon by the player.
U.S. Publication No. 2004/0195773 discloses a slot game that assigns a multiplier to each payline to enhance all wins on that payline. The enhanced payline, however, is not free and is directly wagered upon by the player.
No known games use an enhanced and free payline or an enhanced and free hand of cards. In particular, no known game offers both a free payline or upon which the player does not directly wager and enhanced awards for winning symbol combinations appearing on the free payline. Nor does any known game provide a free hand of cards upon which the player does not directly wager and an enhanced award for a winning hand appearing on the free hand of cards. There is, therefore, a need for new and exciting and entertaining games.